{"id":919533,"date":"2026-07-13T15:12:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T20:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/13\/5-questions-to-ask-ai-vendors-before-you-buy-anything\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T15:12:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T20:12:36","slug":"5-questions-to-ask-ai-vendors-before-you-buy-anything","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/13\/5-questions-to-ask-ai-vendors-before-you-buy-anything\/","title":{"rendered":"5 questions to ask AI vendors before you buy anything"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There are many ways to use AI in marketing, and it feels like for every smart initiative, 10 AI vendors have cropped up with a tool to address it.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of this wave, I took more calls and answered more emails than I do these days. Over time, I realized I was asking vendors the same handful of questions to assess whether their tools were worth deploying.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in the same boat and overwhelmed with vendor outreach, here are five questions to help you figure out whether they\u2019re worth your time, along with my rationale for asking them and what I\u2019m looking to hear \u2014 or not hear.<\/p>\n

This question should help you understand the purpose of the tool and \u2014 crucially \u2014 whether the value it creates maps to real business outcomes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If the vendor can\u2019t clearly state the challenges or use cases the tool addresses, it wasn\u2019t purpose-built to solve a real problem your team faces, whether you\u2019re in-house or at an agency. Beware of vendors who try to dazzle you with feature-heavy language but can\u2019t explain the business benefits those features deliver.<\/p>\n

If a vendor identifies at least one existing team problem the tool solves and explains how it improves business outcomes, it\u2019s a good idea to keep talking. A great follow-up question is to ask for a case study showing how the tool was used and the outcomes it delivered for an organization similar to yours in size and vertical.<\/p>\n

Look for benefits such as \u201cincreases output\u201d or \u201cidentifies gaps in tracking to speed up troubleshooting.\u201d But don\u2019t rush to invest in tools that promise to \u201csave time\u201d (even if they truly do) unless you have a plan for how you\u2019ll use that extra time.<\/p>\n

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The answer to this question should tell you whether the vendor built this tool\u00a0for<\/strong>\u00a0advertisers or just\u00a0at<\/strong>\u00a0advertisers.<\/p>\n

Technical chops matter, but so does understanding how a media buyer actually spends their day. If the vendor doesn\u2019t have personal experience in media buying, they need to explain how they researched the media-buying market and incorporated those insights into the tool.<\/p>\n

If they have a shallow understanding or lack expertise, that\u2019s a red flag. It\u2019s fine if a rep doesn\u2019t have that expertise directly, but someone on their team should, and you should have access to that person as soon as possible if you intend to keep talking.<\/p>\n

If a vendor has a story or background that led them to identify a problem you can relate to firsthand and decide to build the solution themselves, that\u2019s compelling. A founding mission that addresses your existing challenges is a solid foundation for a tool that can make a difference in your team\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n

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I touched on case studies a few paragraphs above, and they\u2019re a must-have in a new, fast-developing industry. I\u2019d be looking to understand whether the vendor has an appealing track record with customers like me or whether we\u2019d be an early adopter.<\/p>\n

If you fall into the latter camp, there are pros and cons, just as there are with any advertising beta you can access before your competitors. You may get a leg up by finding an important growth accelerator before your competitors do, you may spin your wheels trying to work through bugs, or you may find that the tool simply doesn\u2019t deliver on its promises.<\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t trust a tool or there\u2019s a risk you\u2019ll need to provide detailed feedback to get it working, it might not be the best use of your time and money unless you believe what it could eventually deliver would be a game-changer.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re clearly going to be an early adopter and the vendor isn\u2019t willing to be flexible on contract terms that help mitigate risk, that\u2019s a nonstarter. More established tools will likely deliver more consistent value, though they\u2019ll have less wiggle room on pricing as a result. Newer tools that take a hard line on pricing and contract terms, however, likely won\u2019t be good long-term partners.<\/p>\n

For established vendors, you need to see specific, relevant case studies with real numbers from advertisers in a similar space, of a similar size, or with a similar use case.<\/p>\n

If they\u2019re early-stage companies, the best answer is honesty: \u201cYou\u2019d be one of our first clients in this vertical. Here\u2019s what we\u2019ve seen elsewhere, and here\u2019s what that partnership would look like.\u201d That transparency is a green flag.<\/p>\n

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4. Who owns my data, and how is it being used to train models?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s interesting how easily people share data with AI and AI tools in the rush to find a competitive edge. This is something I\u2019d strongly caution potential buyers to consider before signing anything.<\/p>\n

Watch for any answer that suggests your data is used to train shared or third-party models without your explicit consent. Another red flag is vague or deflecting answers or terms of service that contradict or muddy what the salesperson tells you verbally.<\/p>\n

You own your data, full stop.<\/p>\n

The vendor should be able to clearly explain its data-handling practices, including where your data is stored, how long it\u2019s retained, whether it\u2019s used for model training (and, if so, only to refine your own instance), and what happens to your data if you stop using the tool. This needs to be in the contract, not just a verbal assurance. If it\u2019s not there, insist that it be included before you sign.<\/p>\n

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5. What does implementation actually look like, and what does success require from our team?<\/h2>\n

Before you commit money, you need to understand the real cost of adopting this tool. That cost includes more than the price. It\u2019s the time, the internal lift (including integration, training, and QA), and any potential disruption to your existing martech stack.<\/p>\n

If this requires resources your team doesn\u2019t have, or if you realistically can\u2019t dedicate the time to make good use of the tool, it\u2019s not worth the investment just yet. Many marketers could avoid wasted martech spend if they asked this question and seriously considered the answer.<\/p>\n

No tool should be one-size-fits-all, but easy implementation and intuitive design are crucial to getting your team to adopt and stick with it.<\/p>\n

If AI can\u2019t find you,\u00a0customers won\u2019t either.<\/p>\n

Track your visibility across AI search, uncover missed opportunities, and grow your presence where customers are asking questions.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let AI hype rush your decision<\/h2>\n

I know firsthand that many of these tools sound too good to be true \u2014 and often they are. You need to balance growth ambition and curiosity with a bit of caution.<\/p>\n

Remember that we\u2019re still in the early stages of AI adoption. If a tool seems too expensive or hard to onboard, or the contract is more rigid than it should be given the tool\u2019s track record, a more attractive solution will likely emerge in the next few months.<\/p>\n

When in doubt, ask for a free trial. Assuming it won\u2019t create too much work for your team to integrate the tool, that could be the right next step in determining whether you\u2019ve found your next competitive advantage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n Contributing authors are invited to create content for MarTech and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the martech community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff<\/a> and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. MarTech is owned by Semrush<\/a>. Contributor was not asked to make any direct or indirect mentions of Semrush<\/a>. The opinions they express are their own.<\/em>\n <\/p>\n

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\n Laura Schiele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many ways to use AI in marketing, and it feels like for every smart initiative, 10 AI vendors have cropped up with a tool to address it. At the beginning of this wave, I took more calls and answered more emails than I do these days. Over time, I realized I was asking<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":919534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[357,44880],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-919533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-questions","category-vendors"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=919533"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/919533\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/919534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=919533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=919533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=919533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}